Pages

Thursday, December 29

OK - so this was not much of a Quest - more so in name. After two failed attempts to find a place and time to pee for people that cared about my pee - because they were getting paid to... I had success! Quest Diagnostics!

I am starting a new job in January - that's usually a positive thing - and this is - better expectations - money - etc. But what I found somehow odd this time was the whole "Drug Testing" thing.

I've done it before - It's very 'normal' now for companies to test people for substance abuse - I am assuming it's illegal substances they check for. Okay - so maybe I had too much coffee - but while sitting there with the prescribed 'full bladder' - I had a brain fart.

Waiting for my turn-in of the urin - my brain began a churnin.

So it's common practice today tto spend many thousands of dollars a year finding new people you want among all the rest of your current employees. But now you don't trust that they are not drug addicts? When did that trend start? Did you not spend thousands of dollars finding and hiring them? Did you not ask them if they were addicts? Is that politically incorrect other than through a drug test?

And if you go by the numbers, it's not the illegal drugs at all that cause so much workforce trauma. Alcohol causes over $200 Billion in lost productivity each year. One in ten working-age adults will die from alcohol. Why do we not screen for that? Would that not be more profitable?

Isn't it odd that as a society we allow such tremendous pain and harm right in front of us. People drug themselves with alcohol all week in social occasions. Why? What need is there to self-medicate so much? Why do we ignore it?

The final oddity is for those that do NOT drug at all. Try going to to a company party and NOT do drugs like alcohol. You are considered odd. You need to self-medicate like the masses, or something is wrong with you, not the people ingesting the toxins.

So in the Quest for great employees - you can be totally intoxicated, stumbling drunk, completely incapable of working, and pass the 'drug test'. But don;t try to drink at work even though it's legal - it's wrong! Got all that? A very odd place we live in. When Christ or visitors from another planet come - I will let everyone else explain all this - I don't get it. See you at work - Sober! :-)

Tuesday, November 15

Some kids were playing soccer - and a new kid comes along. He'd never played before. They said the rules were simple - don't touch the ball with your hands or arms - get it in the goal. The new kid played along - but was not as skilled and went home frustrated.

The following day - the new kid came back - with a trick- he knelt down, scooped the ball up with his shirt - into his belly, never touching it with his hands and arms, and ran to the goal with the ball under his shirt and dumped the ball in.

Everyone laughed and cheered as he did it, it was really funny to watch. And his goal won the game... or did it? He missed the intent of the game. Technically he followed the rules, the ball never touched his hands. But he did not know about or care about all the unwritten rules. He did not play the game the way the other kids did as he saw them playing. That was too difficult.

Technically, the new kid got the goal... but soon after - the laughing stopped - no one was happy. They all felt cheated. They stood bewildered at what they realized was the selfish cleverness of the new kid. He won and lost at the same time. He had no respect from any of the other players on either team moving forward. The crowd watching eventually shunned him for his actions.

That kid's name is Trump.

In this election-- Trump ran with the ball - and broke lots of unwritten rules of politics, morals, ethics, and even laws. He is a businessman, entertainer, reality TV host - playing a different game, by his own rules - not illegal, quite entertaining, but not in in the spirit of 'The Game' of politics.

He broke moral laws and made it uncomfortable for millions of peaceful Muslims, he vowed to get rid of them, isolating all Muslims, women, men, kids in schools, people on the streets, making them outcasts in a free nation. Many tens of thousands of innocent children are discriminated against today - even by their own teachers and fellow students.

He openly vowed to put his opponent in jail - against the written laws of this nation, a tactic of dictators of the past and present who 'eliminate' any threats because of their own fears.

He incited riotous behavior - encouraging mob mentality by chanting 'lock her up'. That is illegal in most states.

Same as other dictators of the past, he blamed all the current economic problems on a tiny minority of weak and poor immigrants, inciting anger and resentment and economic fears.

He levied very personal attacks on reporters, and critics, instead of answering questions, he attacked character and people - using this tactic to evade questions.

There are many many more examples, but each of these above breaks in some way all of the unwritten rules of politics, of people and morals and ethics. Trump was brilliant in creating fear, diverting important topics and making his weak opponent look weaker.

People laughed and encouraged him as he ran towards the goal of Presidency. It was fun, new, novel... very entertaining. But did he really win? Did he play by the rules of Politics as we all understand them? Technically, the ball crossed the line, but how it got there was not honorable in the spirit of 'The Game". There is little victory celebration now. Most people around the globe have serious concerns about this 'player' and how the game was won. Many feel cheated.

It was too difficult for Trump to play by the rules. To have intelligent dialogue, play by the rules of politics as we know them. So he bullied his way in through fear and intimidation and personal attacks... exactly like he does in business deals. That is fine in money and real estate, but now people's lives are at stake. This is not reality TV - this is real reality - does he know or care about the difference?

So like the soccer kid - one clever person broke most all of the rules. He ran across the finish line. We were all stunned how he did it, we laughed along. But not we are happy. Do we allow this 'WIN' just because one person was entertaining and played the game differently? Time for some new rules? Or do we not let that kid play in the game anymore? Or do we simply learn and grow and not let it happen again? How?

What other unwritten rules will 'this kid' feel inclined to ignore because he wants to do his own thing? Ego is a powerful thing. It has made and broken civilizations. Playing the game your own way for personal gain is often an unhealthy thing long term.

Humble public servants... "One Nation Under God... with Justice for all". For ALL.... Muslims, Mexicans - 'Lock her up' in not Justice. Women's rights have been violated. Laws have been broken in inciting anger and mob madness in not justice. We need election reform now more than ever. As they say - Winning in not everything.

Sunday, November 13

Second - I lean Republican in my beliefs of less Federal Government - Small Business Friendly - but also have environmental and people concerns. I think National Healthcare of some sort is needed, only because the companies that run Healthcare are National - it's impossible and inefficient for them to navigate 50 sets of State Rules.

OK - Policy and preference aside - Results - we all lost in this election. Just ask most any Kid, they are a great barometer of how stupid we adults are. I have teens - trust me. Humility comes easy when I am with them!

So what did we elect - If you look at him literally - we elected a narcissist, bigoted, women fondling guy that wants to herd Mexicans back South and Muslims back East. He wants to undo everything that was done - and change all. Really upsetting - but really - I think it's all a lie.

What we really elected was a Salesman - a Showman - a Manipulator of the Media - and a guy playing "Trump the Game" (remember that?). A guy that knows every angle to get people to pay attention to him, a master at walking the line of insanity and brilliance. I hope! lol

Trump likes and lives reality TV - he's a fan of Pro Wrestling. It's all a show. Kinda disturbing - but hey - we all live a reality show - just most do not have cameras on us.

I Think of Politics now like extreme fighting - two people get into a ring - beat the crap out of each other - kinda disturbing to watch - and then at the end - one is the victor- they all shake hands and move on.

Personally - not my cup of tea. I prefer intelligent discourse - a positive plan - a vision for the future - an outline that will support my serenity in this global platform... but that's lousy TV. Put the orange Faced guy with the whacky hair flapping his arms on the headlines... that's better ratings - and more money.

Money - it's that simple... TV shows him - because they get ratings - money. Mexican anguish - is from loss of jobs and money. Healthcare - money. Make America Great Again - is money. Trump is Money - The Brand - The Gold Standard - he oozes Money - born with it - lost a lost - rebuilt - This win will help his Brand - great for sales in Trump Hotels. Money... Thurston Howell style!

Is he going to Herd Mexicans and Build a wall... doubt it - he will moderate that stance. Healthcare - he's already back peddling - saying we should just fix the current system... we ALL knew that. Muslims to Morocco - nah - that's expensive -bad for sales - that will fall away.

In SALES - it's about winning the customer - do or say ANYTHING to get the deal signed - Then you can really get to work on the issues once you get behind their doors. That is what I think Trump is... along with being a disturbingly entitled egomaniac that objectifies women. No rule against that in our Policies - and apparently we ARE a money focused economy. We apparently WILL look past personal issues- and low moral character for the American Dream... Money. That disturbs my kids. Especially my Daughter. Think about the message we just sent our young men and women. With Money - you can get away with anything.

In theory we are "One Nation Under God"... But "In God We Trust" - is on our Money.
Maybe it's time to separate that concept? I love Bono and U2's line...
The God I believe in is not short of cash... Mister"... yeah Mine too.

Sunday, June 12

A spiritual Awakening described. Self-Transcendence Self Sacrifice. The self, melting away. Something triggers in some people - this change. It's an amazing experience. It is described by Bill Wilson the founder of AA. Spirituality is a key component to inner peace and success in many recovery programs. Having a sense of spirituality gives a person a sense of belonging.

When we initiated the JUST SAY NO program, it started the fast acceleration of locking up the people who needed help the most. Removing them from the tribe of society,putting them into another tribe. One they find very hard to assimilate out of. We make matters worse, by releasing these people from Prison tribes, into isolation. These people feel alone re-entering society. They are scared, monitored, made felt less than worthy, not embraced back into the society tribe... and they fail.

Modern Societ promotes self-medicating - and self-indulgence and flies against this growth. We incarcerate addicts - exacerbating this problem.. they are often lonely scared people without a tribe... and we make their problems WORSE by isolating them into prisons. We cut them off from any decent tribe, and force creations of different tribes behind the cell walls. Tribes of anger and pain and hurt.In exploring our Tribal nature, we need Tribal experiences - Homo Duplex experience of the Tribe. The collective We need to understand our genetic make-up and gather in those that are lost - and scared - and self-medicating.

Recovery programs -and groups and societies provide them with a tribe. Fraternities, Churches - all mini Tribes. Understand this and understand people and humanity and how we are evolving. Stop texting and emailing - start talking - start meeting with people. It's a great experience.

Saturday, January 30

In running SoberWorld.org one of the topics i read about almost daily is Alcohol and Laws. I see so many struggles. I see people looking for ways to have laws help reduce harm. I also see people looking at ways around the laws to sell more alcohol and do more harm.

Alcohol (C2H6O) occurs naturally in rotting fruit and other organic matter. About 10,000 years ago, someone figured out how to replicate this, and we were off. It has become part of culture, folk society, and one of the first miracles in the Bible was Jesus making wine for a party. It HAS to be good... so lets drink more!

Zoom forward 9,900 or so years (about a century ago), and we in the USA tried making it illegal since excess in alcohol was hurting so many people in so many ways. Besides thousands dying, direct health issues, alcohol also impairs judgement both physically and mentally (why they give you free booze at casinos). With so many bad attributes, you would assume society would want to make this toxin illegal to produce and distribute. It kills so many people, destroys lives, it only makes sense to prohibit it. Right?

However, we forgot about one of the most important characteristics of alcohol. It is physically and psychologically and socially addictive. We crave it.

So let's zoom to today.
Since prohibition, alcohol is legal to make, distribute, sell, tax, and consume with modest restraints of age only (to protect the children - the adults don't need protection apparently).

We now know
Alcohol attacks almost every organ immediately, it is a level one carcinogen, it causes cancer in multiple organs including the colon and breast tissue. It causes permanent brain damage in people under the age of 25 who drink to excess, making them more vulnerable to addiction. It is a leading side factor in heart failure. In its purest form, it is highly lethal to the human body. Very little will shut down your whole body permanently. But boy, we love it!

The growth of Alcohol sales has been exponential, and so have the problems.

And it's all legal - because WE want it, LOTS OF IT!
In short, alcohol is everywhere, in every event, available 7 days a week for sale, most places over 10 hours a day. Businesses and our state governments rake in money, lots of it, and yet somehow they are legally disconnected from the death and destruction.

If we could drink Asbestos catch a buzz... would we be suing them?
How can they make toxic products that kill tens of thousands and destroy so much of our society, and not be held accountable? How? Because we let them. Because we want it, because we are addicted.

Our Laws related to Alcohol control only money and societal direct harm. There are some advertising rules to protect children that are ineffective at best.

Laws will not enforce you to make common sense decisions about your health. Laws will not enforce a spiritual existence is a mentally peaceful. Laws will not enforce saving money by not drinking. Laws will not enforce you to have more intelligent conversations and more meaningful relations in a more sober existence.

Laws will not make your life better, only you can.

Don't look to the Laws to help us out of addiction and excessive alcohol. We all need to have a better understanding, and like cigarettes, provide more education. We need to enable people to be more informed, we need to help addicts and people trying to stop self-medicating. We need to understand the WHY question of the reason people are drinking so much.

Similar to cigarettes, when we the people decide to drink less through education, not through laws and enforcement, then we will have a more Sober World.

Saturday, January 2

Jan 2016 marks the start of the fourth calendar year of complete chemical sobriety for me. In running Sober World I have opened over 3,000 Gmail search bots containing over 10,000 articles on various aspects of alcohol around the globe. I have written commented and shared many thousands on SoberWorldOrg and have a fun small following that I am growing slowly as I become more confident in what I am doing.

And really - being sober for me has very little to do with alcohol. Intoxicated or Drunk? yes... but Sobriety is a state of mind to me.

Alcohol and Addiction as I understand it

Alcohol has been a part of our lives for thousands of years. Part of culture, trade. Wine was cultivated and traded as a commodity a very long time ago. The first miracle in the Bible performed by Jesus was essentially a 'Packy Run' to get booze for a wedding (Water into Wine). It is a part of every culture - good or bad is not for me to judge.

So what's different now?

In a word, Corporations. In the US, in the past 100 years since prohibition, the ability to manufacture, warehouse, truck, distribute, sell, retail and market alcohol has grown exponentially. We now have global brands nurturing 'mature drinking markets like Ireland and Scotland, advising them on how to drink sustainably. At the same time they search now markets like Africa and Asia. China is going to quickly become a hot bed for alcoholism with all the money and 'westernizing' they are experiencing.

Corporations push growth in sales constantly, marketing to different people, creating different styles of alcohol to entice different people. Classy wine for working Moms, Beers for Sports guys, sophisticated Scotches and Gins for the image minded, fruity drinks for vacationers and the young, seasonal drinks, occasion drinks (like Champagne) and more. More, more more...

The States in the US were strapped with a problem post prohibition. Dealing with the alcohol aftermath costs money. Unpaid medical, fire, police, counselors for addiction and other social services, houses for addiction, legal fees, incarcerations. So they taxed Alcohol to pay for the damage alcohol caused.

State Sales Competition - Adding Fuel to the Fire

The States in the US have also engaged in border wars for revenue. Each state has it's own alcohol laws - so in my home state - competing with others, they have increased available hours of sale in the last half a century by well over 250%, now selling alcohol 7 days a week, over 110 hours. Many states now allow sales in grocery stores, gas stations, warehouse stores and more for 'convenience'.

All of this pressure to add hours, add places to sell is driven by one thing, money. Corporations making the alcohol want growth and market share. States taxing all of it want more tax revenue,so they open the spigot, allow more places to sell, more hours. More, more more...

Reality Check - Would they even allow it?

Alcohol itself has no health value and if introduced today would most likely not be sold at all. Alcohol the drug is a level one carcinogen, causes cancer in many organs and tissues from the liver, to colon and even breast cancer. It causes permanent brain damage to people under 25 that drink it regularly. It is an addictive mood altering depressant that is linked to 75% of rapes and one in five suicides. It is the cause of death for one in ten working age adults in the Unites States. It costs a quarter of a trillion dollars in lost productivity every year in the US. Globally alcohol is one of the leading causes of death, one person every ten seconds dies from it on average. Over 3 Million people a year die from it. In the US - we experience a 9/11 like death toll, every 3 weeks from alcohol.

See what others choose not to see

Any business starting today making a toxic products that killed many millions of people would be sued and shut down. Do you hear anyone taking responsibility for all this death and damage? Alcohol lobbyists are powerful and influential. Legislators pushing more sales in the states would be shunned. But we allow it. Completely wrong - yet completely legal because we the people allow it.

So - How do we change all this? We need to need less alcohol.

Laws have limits. We the people need to change - Social Change. We already are. Slowly we are understanding th Cancer links to Alcohol. Slowly you are seeing "Smoking and Alcohol" more and more as cancer risk twins. Slowly we are understanding addiction, and that alcohol is a drug, a medication to mask anxieties, stress, tensions, fears for a short while, but is solves nothing and often makes them worse. Slowly - sites like www.SoberWorld.org are being read more seriously. Slowly we are embracing addicts to drugs and alcohol as people with emotional and psychological imbalances and needs.

There are tens of million in the US alone in recovery from addiction. The more sales of addictive products - the more addicts you will make - a percentage of them will live - and like any uprising - as the masses of recovery people grow - see their voice grow. A great example is Many Faces 1 Voice. Mass uprisings are already taking place - there is a war going on. You WILL see more, I can guarantee that from the thousands of passionate people I have met.

The common Spiritual healing thread.

We as beings all aspire towards something greater. A higher presence, God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha - whatever the religion, or faith - they all point at spirituality. Consistently, the more you have an inner peace, and inner spirituality and walk that life, the less you self medicate with alcohol.

So for 2016, if you are willing to change a bit, search deeper for that inner peace, that serenity that allows you to pass by drama, not engage in useless arguments, that encourages helping others by doing service work. Doing for others will pay you back exponentially, I see that every day with the people I know.

I have a personal mission over the next decade to support the World Health Organization in what little way I can in their 2025 initiative to reduce Non Communicable Diseases. I want to re-define "Sober" to show that alcohol is a symptom. Like you take aspirin for physical pain, you take alcohol for emotional tensions, good and bad.

Alcohol, like cigarettes or other drugs is best not taken at all. If you feel you need it, that's fine for most people, but keep it to small suggested doses please. If it gets out of hand - you have tens of millions of friends struggling - don't be shy to ask for help!

Have a safe and Happy New Year.
If you can, make yours a more Sober World!